Denmark is once again considering a nationwide ban on the Islamic call to prayer, reviving a long-running debate over immigration, integration and religious expression as the government pushes ahead with some of Europe’s strictest migration policies.
Immigration Minister Morten Bødskov announced that the government would reopen an investigation into whether the Adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, can be legally banned across the country. The proposal follows similar attempts in 2020 and 2025 and comes as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s administration continues to tighten immigration rules.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Explaining the move, Bødskov argued that the public broadcast of the call to prayer has no place in Denmark.
“The call to prayer should not be heard over Danish rooftops,” the Social Democrat minister told Danish news agency Ritzau.
“It has no place in Denmark, and you shouldn’t be in any doubt whether you’ve ended up in a suburb of Islamabad when you walk around Denmark,” he added.
Why is Denmark considering the ban?
The Adhan is traditionally broadcast five times a day through loudspeakers mounted on mosque minarets to call Muslims to prayer.
According to Bødskov, the government wants to examine whether a nationwide prohibition can be introduced while remaining consistent with Denmark’s constitutional protections for religious freedom. He also claimed that a creeping “Islamisation” was occupying too much public space.
The latest proposal marks the third effort by a Danish immigration minister to establish a legal framework for banning the public broadcast of the call to prayer.
Existing restrictions already in place
Although there is currently no nationwide ban, parts of Denmark already restrict outdoor calls to prayer.
In Copenhagen, strict local noise regulations effectively prevent mosques from broadcasting the Adhan through loudspeakers. The Grand Mosque of Copenhagen also does not issue an outdoor call to prayer under an agreement with local authorities.
Supporters of the proposed ban argue that loudspeaker broadcasts are no longer necessary in an era of smartphones and digital prayer reminders, saying the debate is about public noise and shared spaces rather than religious practice.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADDenmark’s increasingly strict immigration policy
The proposal comes as Denmark continues to pursue one of Europe’s toughest immigration agendas under Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
The country’s controversial “ghetto” laws allow authorities to relocate migrants from neighbourhoods considered to have a high concentration of foreign-born residents. Separate rules require some asylum seekers to surrender valuables to help cover accommodation costs, while unsuccessful applicants may lose financial support.
During the 2015 European migrant crisis, Denmark accepted significantly fewer asylum seekers than many neighbouring countries, a policy successive governments have described as a success.